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Feb 19, 2013

An Ultrasound Miracle

I announced in my Christmas post that my wife and I are
expecting our 2nd child. Going prenatal again has been an
interesting experience because some of it has been familiar and some of it has
been completely different compared to our first go-round. When I found out we were having our first, I was more afraid than anything. Afraid that I was in way over my head and I didnt have what it took to be a dad. This was a stark contrast to my current mindset which is one of excitement and maybe a pinch of nervousness. After 3+ years of parenting, my wife and I are more established both mentally and financially. We also are way more comfortable in our parental skin now.

Another cool thing about having baby #2 is being able to have our 3 year old participate in the process. It was becasue of him I found out my wife was expecting in the first place.I was at work but before I left, my wife told me that she would be taking a pregnancy test. Later that day, I received the following text message from my wife:

A couple of Fridays ago was a special day because we got
to find out the sex of the baby together as a family.What made it especially significant for us
was the fact that neither I nor my son were supposed to be there for the ultrasound: I just started a new job a
couple of months ago and although this new position came with finanical benefits and a
closer commute, they have very strict attendance policies, particularly with
new hires. It was devastating news. When I gave my wife the news that I wasn’t going to make it to the
appointment, her eyes welled up with tears at the anger and disappointment of knowing that
the two most important people in her life wouldn’t be able to be there for such a significant
milestone.

After a few days of reflection and quietly cursing my boss, my wife
eventually came up with an ingenious compromise: She would go to the appointment alone and
request that the ultrasound specialist not tell her the sex but write it down
and put it in an envelope. She would then take said envelope to our local
bakery and instruct them to bake a cake and have the color of the filling match
the sex.It was brilliant. It wasn’t the
same as actually being there, but it was a fun and creative way for us to get the
news together.

The day before the appointment, the cake was pre ordered and
we were pretty happy that we were able to make the best out of a potentially bad situation. There was news of an upcoming blizzard headed out way. The worst we thought would happen was the doctor's office closing and not being able to go at all. However, the complete opposite happened: not only
did we confirm that they would be open, but we also found out that my job was closing their office as well. It was pretty exciting news. The next day we happily drove to the doctor's office.So basically, I have a natural disaster to thank for creating one of the most memorable family moments of my life.